The hawthorn trees higher up the hill aren

Is it Spring yet?

Spring is here, finally, with the promise that summer is a-comin’ in. Or so it feels today. And maybe it will feel the same tomorrow, but who knows? Oscar Wilde said that conversation about the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative. Not so for gardeners in the Eastern Townships of Quebec where I…

frogs (1 of 1)

Speaking of gardens…

I’m speaking twice this month to groups in and around Montreal. Both events are open to the general public, so do come if you can. Learning to Look: the Art of Garden Observation On Saturday, May 11 at 2:30, I’m speaking in Georgeville, Quebec at the Murray Community Hall.  This talk about how to get the…

china terrace

You are Invited! July 20, 2019

On Saturday, July 20, you are invited to visit Glen Villa — to explore the gardens, fields and forests and to help support an important community cause. Visit the China Terrace, where an old resort hotel has been delightfully re-imagined.     Enjoy the rich assortment of wild life that lives at the Skating Pond.     Walk alongside…

April 1, 2016 (1 of 1)

Plus ça change…

This winter feels interminable. Surely in earlier years daffodils have been blooming by now, snowdrops long gone. Well, no. It’s true that in some years snowdrops have appeared by this date.     Crocus have bloomed.     Pulmonaria have added their touch of colour.     But it is also true that this April…

A narrow road runs between these evergreens but you wouldn

This is spring?

According to the official calendar, spring arrived four days ago. Yet two days ago we received the largest dump of snow we’ve had all year — 40 centimeters, or almost 16 inches. A late winter snowstorm is not unusual in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, where my garden Glen Villa is located. Snow tires are required…

Here

Oh, Deer!

Long winters like the one we are experiencing this year in Quebec’s Eastern Townships make life difficult for animals.  Deep snow that persists for months makes it hard for deer to find food in the woods and as time passes they come closer and closer to barns and houses. Yesterday I glanced out a window, disrupting two…

This photo from 2008 shows the yurt on the ice.

Fishing in Winter

Yesterday the temperature in Quebec’s Eastern Townships was hovering just above freezing. The sky was brilliant blue and the sun glinting off clean, fresh snow brought out dozens of people, walking and talking — and fishing through the ice. We live next door to Manoir Hovey, an outstanding resort hotel and a member of the…